A warm September evening
by Nens
Summary: Inspired by a ff prompt I found on tumblr, you can read it at the beginning of the first chapter. I, of course, own nothing but the plot. Feedback is much appreciated :) Thank you and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**Jane Rizzoli has been through a lot this year.**_

_**First she divorced her deadbeat husband Casey who had been spending all their money on prostitutes.**_

_**She's had to pick up her family, sans the ex husband, and move them back across the country to Boston; they very hometown she hadn't been to in 10 years. **_

_**She then enrolls her children in school, only to find out (via parent-teacher conference) that their teacher is none other then the former LLBFF that she hadn't seen since an awkward kiss on her stairs after announcing she was marrying Casey 10 long years ago.**_

* * *

She knew she had done a smart move by convincing Casey on giving the girls her last name.

By the time she was expecting their first child, she managed to talk him into the fact that it would have been better for the baby to legally be a Rizzoli: after all, he was still on and off working for the army. If anything ever happened to him, the kids had the right to be safe, under full-custody of their mother.

She doesn't want to admit it now, but she has always thought something like this could happen. She has always had the feeling that their relationship would've sunk. She loved him, of course she did, but she knew him too well to let him fool her and make her think that it could last forever.

Although somehow he tricked her into thinking he was the right one, the right husband for her, the right father for their children and although she was not that kind of woman, she let herself to him, completely.

And now she's paying her lack of courage with loneliness, gathering together what's left of her dignity to give her daughters a good life.

Today, as she looks at her new kitchen, into her new apartment, she feels terribly alone. And guilty.

The girls are in the living room and she makes sure they're not paying any attention to her before opening the fridge and exhuming a bottle of beer. That's the only habit she's kept from her life before Casey: drinking a beer when she feels down. But Casey didn't want her to drink in front of the kids, so she had to do it at night, when the house was sleeping.

"_Fuck Casey,_" she thinks as she takes two long sips.

She and the girls have been in Boston for five days, the apartment is finally completed, all she needs now is to find a school that is willing to take the girls even though the school year has already started, and hopefully a job.

On that warm September evening, as her daughters sit quietly in the living room, Jane Rizzoli decides it's time to fill in the papers to enroll her oldest daughter in time for the school year.

Everything is online now, she has to fill in forms that will be automatically sent to the school administration. All this computer work is already giving her a headache.

"Mamma, when will I start school again?"

"Hopefully in a couple days, Allie. I'm sending the request right now." A few more clicks. "Done."

Allison smiles at her and lowers her head back to the book she was reading and Jane's gaze switches to Zoe, her youngest, who is drawing something, her hands and face already looking like and adorable rainbow mess. The TV is going on mute, none of the kids paying attention to it.

"Girls, anyone up for pizza?" Jane gets up stretching her back as two pair of shiny eyes look up at her nodding, and with a smile she calls the pizza delivery.

* * *

On that warm September evening, Maura Isles is in her house, feeding her tortoise with strawberries and fresh parsley, when her BlackBerry buzzes.

She's rather surprised when she sees who is sending the e-mail she's just received: it's Liam Clarence, her boss and, well, lover.

He's the principal at the school she now works in, and he's telling her that he's just gotten an application form from a woman that asks if they have room for her eight-year-old, since they've just moved to Boston.

Is she willing to take a new kid in her class? Of course, Maura thinks, why not. She doesn't really care that much.

Ten years before, Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Maura Isles quit her job at the Boston Police Department. She tendered her resignation the day after Detective Jane Rizzoli did.

Then Jane left to Texas with Casey, and she ended up as a math and science teacher at a public elementary school.

* * *

"Kids, please, sit down, everybody take a sit… Jake, I can see you over there! Come on, get out from under your desk."

It's Monday morning, Maura enters her classroom where, unlike her, the kids are active and ready to begin their day.

She sighs as she gets mentally prepared for the eight hours of work she has in front of her. She just wishes she had drank more coffee.

"So, before we start, I wanted to tell you that we have a new entry with us today!" She runs her finger on a piece of paper on the desk until she finds the name she was looking for, the new one, the only one she is not used to see amongst the others.

"Her name is Allison Michelle-" Maura freezes. She reads the name over and over and over. No. It can't be. It can't be real.

All the kids are staring at her and Allison is looking around shyly, not sure if she should stand up.

"Allison Michelle..Rizzoli." manages Maura, after a while.

"It's me." says Allison, reluctantly. It's the first time a stranger spells her last name correctly at the first shot. She already likes this teacher.

Maura hears the high-pitched voice of the new student but doesn't want to look up. She doesn't want to see her. She knows exactly how this little girl is going to look like, and she doesn't need any confirmation. But her head involuntarily lifts to the rest of the class, faking the bravery she doesn't have.

Yes. There she is.

"Of course it's you." whispers Maura.

A slim eight-year-old girl, pretty tall for her age, long and dark curls framing her face, chocolate brown eyes looking directly at her.

_Jane_. All Maura sees when she looks at that young girl, is Jane.


	2. Chapter 2

_FLASHBACK_

"_Casey's going back to Afghanistan, unless.."_

"_Unless what?"_

"_Unless I marry him."_

_Maura could swear she felt her heart drop to her feet. The only thing that was keeping her still was her knowledge in anatomy, which made sure to her that a heart can't actually drop for itself, otherwise she probably would've just collapsed._

_She felt light-headed for a second and grasped the handle of the door, without breaking eye-contact with Jane._

"_Maura, did you hear me?"_

"_Of course." she found herself saying. 'Of course? Really Maura?!' she thought, but she swallowed her thoughts down hard. "Well I think we should go. I mean, I should go. You stay. Or go. Or do whatever, I just have to-" Maura rushed outside before finishing the sentence._

"_Maura?" Jane's gaze followed her friend until she was out of the building, and almost jumped when she felt Casey's hand on shoulder._

"_Is everything alright?" he asked._

"_I…don't know." Jane looked at the door, confused. "Is it okay if I'll see you later at home?"_

"_Sure, fine." He leaned in for a kiss, and their lips touched briefly before Jane rushed to her car and drove to Maura's place._

_Knock-knock._

"_Who's there?"_

"_Who do you think?" Jane was tapping her foot on the ground waiting for Maura to open the door._

_The Medical Examiner looked surprised when she found her best friend waiting at her door. "Jane?"_

"_Yes, duh! Are you okay?" Jane got inside without waiting for Maura to let her in, and took off her badge and gun._

"_I am fine, thank you.. What are you doing here?"_

_Jane turned to her with an 'are you kidding or what' look on her face. "I came here to ask you what's wrong."_

"_But I've just told you-"_

"_You're face earlier said otherwise."_

_Maura's gaze shifted to the floor. "You just caught me off-guard with the proposal thing.. But I'm happy for you two." Maura's hand travelled nonchalantly to her neck and Jane looked at her intensely._

"_I haven't said yes yet."_

"_Are you going to?" Maura's hazel eyes were now buried into her chocolate ones, Jane could swear her friend was begging for her to say no._

"_I..I don't know. I think so."_

"_Well then in case you do, I am happy."_

"_You are lying.." Jane pointed at her best friend's neck which had already gotten red from her persistent scratching._

_Maura blushed and turned to move some steps towards the stairs when she felt Jane's hand on her wrist._

"_Maura, what the hell?" Jane tried to take something out of her best friend's look, but all she saw was confusion and shame._

"_I don't feel very well right now.." the doctor tried to walk up the stairs but Jane followed her, trailed by her right hand that was still hooked on Maura's wrist._

"_No, you don't.. Care to tell me what's wrong?"_

"_I can't Jane."_

_The more Maura spoke the more Jane was confused, and the blonde could perfectly see that._

"_Just go Jane, please. I can't-"_

"_You can't what?"_

"_I can't stand staying here and.." Maura's voice broke at that point. "..and knowing that you're even thinking about marrying Casey. Now if you'll excuse me-"_

"_No, I don't excuse you. Maura, you lost me there, honestly, I don't understand.."_

"_Good Lord, I love you Jane!"_

_Maura's words hit Jane like a stab. She heard terror in her voice, but also impatience and disappointment. The kind of disappointment you feel when you realize you lost someone you thought you could have near you forever._

"_Maura-"_

"_I don't feel like talking, I'm sorry. Nothing good is going to come out of your mouth right now anyways, so please-"_

"_How do you know that?"_

_Maura looked up at her. "I don't, I guessed."_

_Jane took a step towards her best friend, staring into her eyes. "You are no good at guessing, Maura."_

"_I know.." The Medical Examiner saw her friend's lips getting closer and closer to hers, and she could swear her heart was about to pop. It would only take a breath, and their lips would not be parted anymore. And so Maura did. She breathed out and filled the gap between their mouths with a sigh, awkwardly brushing her lips on Jane's. The detective didn't jerk away immediately, but when she did, Maura felt as if her world was crumbling._

_Jane looked down. One of her dark curls fell on her face and she blew it back on place before turning to the door._

_Every step she took was needle into Maura's skin. She knew, she simply knew that if Jane walked out that door, she was not going to see her again. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run towards her and wrap her arms around her body and never let her close to that door ever again. Instead she remained still, a hand gripped on the handrail of the stairs, her eyes locked to Jane's figure although her sight was already blurred for the tears._

_Jane opened the door and a cold breeze hit them both. The brunette turned one last time, to see Maura's hazel eyes glistening._

"_Why?" she glanced at her friend, her look clueless and vitreous._

"_Because it's you." Maura simply answered, without thinking and immediately regretting it._

"_Well, that's not enough of a reason." Jane shook her head imperceptibly and stepped out, closing the door behind her._

_A wrecked Maura leaned her back on the handrail, sliding down until she was sitting on a stair. Tears ran profusely on her face, her breath was short and hiccuped, she was almost choking on her own cry._

"_It is enough for me." she wept as she took her face in her hands._

* * *

Jane has been running errands all morning with her little one, and she's right about to get into her car to go pick Allison up from school when her cellphone rings.

"Ma'? Yes, we're on our way, I had some issues with- No, I'm getting in the car right now." she says as she fastens Zoe's seatbelt, balancing her phone between her shoulder and her ear. "We'll be there in twenty minutes, I just need to get Allie. Sure, bye Ma'."

"Where we goin?" mumbles Zoe from the back seat.

"We're going to pick up your sister from school, Zoe." Jane starts the car and glances at the rearview mirror to get out of the parking place. "And then we're going to have lunch at nonna's place."

"Why I'm not goin to school?"

"Because you have to be at least six in order to go to school. And you know how old are you?"

Zoe counts on her finger and then shows them to her mother. "Four!"

Jane smiles. "Good job baby girl. Two more years to go."

* * *

"Where are my girls!?" Angela gets out as soon as she hears Jane's car parking in the front yard, and Allison immediately gets off the vehicle to go hug her grandmother.

Usually the girls hardly ever see her, maybe once or exceptionally twice in a year, but they love Angela and they both are psyched to get to see her more often now that they live in Boston.

"Allie! Oh Lord, stop growing, it's insane how tall you are now!" Angela hugs her granddaughter hard and caresses her face. "You are so gorgeous honey."

"Thank you nonna," she smiles as Zoe runs towards them.

"Zoe, hi beautiful," Angela lifts the little girl, kissing her cheek. "Godness you two have grown too much. Look at you, Jesus-"

"Hi Ma'." Jane fixes her coat and smiles at Angela, who just hugs her tightly while holding Zoe. "I am so happy you're here Janie."

"I am too Ma', it feels good to be back." she smiles, ruffling Allison's curls.

Angela puts Zoe down and grabs the hands of both her granddaughters. "Come on, let's go inside, nonna has made some italian goodies for you two, are you hungry?"

"I am starving!"

"Me too!"

Jane follows them as her daughters run inside, and Angela stops her in the hall.

"You and I need to talk.." Angela looks at her daughter intensely, stroking her hand.

"I know," Jane smiles weakly, glancing at the girls. "just not in front of them. They're getting used to Boston now, they do not ask about their father as much as the used to.. We're working it out."

"I just want to know what happened to you sweetie.." Angela looks at Zoe trying to dip her finger into the tomato sauce and grins. "They are beautiful Jane, I am so proud of the work you're doing with them. Allison looks exactly like you."

"I know," she smiles, "she really does. Zoe is the total opposite of her though. Hazel eyes, light brown hair. Just like Casey."

Angela squeezes her arm softly and pats her back. "Just remember I'm here if you need anything okay?"

"Thanks Ma'." Jane smiles and takes off her coat. "So girls, go wash your hands, lunch is ready!"

* * *

Maura is laying in Liam's bed, in his house, they just had sex and she's now naked and staring at the ceiling while he's sleeping and breathing heavily beside her.

She's been very distracted all day long, even that very night, while his lover was undressing her and kissing every inch of her body, she couldn't seem to enjoy it. She hadn't let the thought of Jane leave her mind, not for even one second.

She's sure as hell that Allison, the new girl, is Jane's. She has a _gut feeling_ about this, and she cannot stop thinking that her former best friend is probably now sleeping within a few miles from her, under the dark blue sky of Boston, the same she sees from the window in front of the bed.

"Is everything alright Maur?"

She feels Liam's hand on her bare shoulder and she turns to him, smiling.

"Of course." She smiles and kisses him sweetly. "Just, can you please not call me Maur? Anything else it's fine."

"I'm sorry, I thought it was a cute nickname."

"It is," she looks at him, toying with his hair, "it only brings up bad memories."


End file.
